Business class on long-haul flights is increasingly becoming a collection of private suites. High partitions, sliding doors and seats shielded from other passengers’ view have become prominent features in new cabin launches. After the introduction of fully flat beds, privacy has become the next battleground for airlines. Yet what looks like undeniable progress in promotional photographs does not necessarily deliver a more pleasant experience for every passenger.

Having experienced the older business class cabins on Lufthansa’s Airbus A340-300 and Turkish Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ER, as well as United’s Polaris on the Boeing 787-10, this author still prefers a more open cabin layout. Not because privacy is unimportant, but because comfort also means a sense of space, an unobstructed view of the cabin and the opportunity to glance towards a window. High partitions give some passengers peace and quiet, while others find them slightly claustrophobic, even when the seat itself is technically more advanced.

Privacy as the new measure of luxury

United clearly illustrates this direction with the introduction of Polaris seats featuring sliding doors for its new-generation Boeing 787-9 interiors. It has also developed larger Polaris Studio suites, further distinguishing standard business class from an even more exclusive experience within the same cabin. Doors are therefore no longer a feature reserved for first class, but an increasingly important part of the business class offering.

There are understandable reasons for this development. For passengers travelling alone who want to work or sleep through most of the flight, being shielded from the aisle and other travellers can make a considerable difference. Fewer glances, fewer visual distractions and a more clearly defined personal space are tangible benefits. Particularly on an overnight flight, the ability to retreat into a private corner can significantly improve rest.

Still, privacy is not the same as spaciousness. A door may shield a seat from the aisle, but it will not, by itself, widen the bed, enlarge the footwell or make it easier to turn over while sleeping. Assessing business class quality should therefore neither begin nor end with whether a seat has a door.

What is lost when the partitions go up?

Older, more open cabins offered something that is difficult to capture in a technical specification sheet: a sense of spaciousness. Your view did not end at a wall immediately beside your shoulder, and you could see the cabin and the daylight coming through the windows. Depending on the layout and seat position, even passengers in the centre of the aircraft could catch a glimpse outside.

This is precisely one of the qualities this author appreciates in the older Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines business class cabins. The cabin feels more open, less compartmentalised and more pleasant during the waking hours of a flight. That does not necessarily mean each passenger has a larger footprint, but rather that the space feels bigger because it is not enclosed by high partitions on every side.

In more enclosed layouts, particularly in centre seats, the view towards the windows can be significantly restricted or effectively lost. Some passengers will not consider this a drawback at all. For those who associate looking outside with the pleasure of flying, a connection to their surroundings or simply a more comfortable experience on board, the difference matters.

United’s Polaris also demonstrates that the choice is not limited to a completely open cabin or a suite with a door. The original Polaris design, which this author experienced on the Boeing 787-10, already provides substantial separation between seats and direct aisle access, but without the doors introduced in the new generation. The sense of enclosure therefore depends not only on doors, but also on partition height, seat orientation and the shape of the space surrounding the passenger.

Open layouts, of course, have their drawbacks too. In some older configurations, window-seat passengers have to step across their neighbour’s seating area to reach the aisle. That is a genuine limitation, particularly when the neighbouring passenger is asleep. However, direct aisle access and a more open cabin feel are not mutually exclusive goals.

The seat is the foundation, service makes the difference

For this author, a good seat that converts into a fully flat bed is a basic requirement of long-haul business class. Adequate width, usable legroom and physical separation from the neighbouring passenger are equally important. If passengers are not touching, have clearly defined personal space and are shielded from each other’s view by a suitable divider while sleeping, the need for further enclosure becomes primarily a matter of personal preference.

Once those conditions are met, service makes the decisive difference. How attentive and available is the crew? Can a meal be served at a time that suits the passenger? Is the service organised to allow enough time for sleep? Do the food, drinks and bedding live up to the ticket price? Does the passenger feel like a guest, or simply another item in a predetermined service routine?

Sliding doors will not make up for a lukewarm meal, a long wait for a drink or an indifferent crew. Equally, a more open cabin with a comfortable seat and thoughtful, attentive service can leave a better overall impression than a visually impressive suite where the experience does not extend beyond the quality of the fittings.

When presenting new cabins, it is easier to showcase doors, screens and finishes than consistent service. Yet a few hours into the flight, that consistency is precisely what passengers notice.

A lesson from first class

Interestingly, first class also offers an argument in favour of more open spaces. Lufthansa’s classic first class cabins recall an approach in which luxury did not necessarily require enclosing every seat behind a door. Spaciousness and the ability to obtain privacy while resting could coexist with an open cabin feel.

Air France’s La Première offers a different but equally interesting example. In the new generation of this product, floor-to-ceiling curtains provide privacy from the aisle, while a physical partition separates the centre suites. This is therefore not a cabin without partitions, but an approach that uses curtains rather than solid doors to close off the aisle. The window-side suites, meanwhile, extend across no fewer than five windows.

With the amount of space it offers, this kind of first class is not directly comparable with business class. Nevertheless, it shows that luxury and privacy need not take only one form. A curtain allows openness when the passenger wants it and seclusion when needed, without the constant visual presence of a door.

An unpopular opinion: I will miss the old business class cabins

I realise this is something of an unpopular opinion, to use the familiar internet expression, but I have to admit that I will miss the “old” business class cabins. In my experience, they were more affordable, and in many respects they suited me better. They had their shortcomings, but the openness of the cabin, the sense of space and the fewer physical barriers had a value for me that a new door and a higher partition cannot simply replace.

Many aviation influencers on YouTube would probably disagree with me. But I do not always agree with their approach either, which sometimes swings between excessive criticism of older products and romanticising new features that do not, in themselves, deserve such admiration. The absence of a door is not sufficient reason to dismiss a business class product, just as its presence is no proof of an outstanding experience. I am more interested in whether I can sit and sleep comfortably, whether I have enough personal space and what kind of service I receive during the flight.

Business class should therefore not be judged by how successfully it hides passengers from the rest of the cabin. A good product should provide rest, personal space and quality service, while allowing for different preferences. I would happily choose a comfortable flat bed, a discreet divider and a view across the cabin towards a window. If excellent service comes with it, I will not miss the doors. Some of the “old” business class cabins, however, I will.